TLP:GREEN, Approved for public sharing

Candidate Dossier: Michelle Belkot

2026 Clark County Council Dist 2

TLP:GREEN Date: 2026-07-04 Party: Non-Partisan District: Clark County
FieldDetailSource
Full NameMichelle BelkotT1
ResidenceClark County Council District 2, an area north of the city of Vancouver that includes Hazel Dell, Felida, and Orchards. Committee mailing address in Vancouver, WA 98668.T1
PartyClark County Council is a nonpartisan office under the county Home Rule Charter. Belkot is publicly associated with conservative, anti-light-rail, and anti-tax positions.T1
FamilyRaised in Clark County. Married to Dennis Belkot. Mother of two sons.T3
EmploymentMore than 20 years as a civil servant managing multimillion-dollar construction, architecture, and engineering contracts (self-reported)T3

1 Election History

YearRaceResult
2021Lost in general
2022Won in general
2026Incumbent seeking reelection; faces John Zingale and Martin Pittioni in the August 4, 2026 primary

2 Political Positions

TopicPositionSource
Light Rail and the Interstate Bridge ReplacementOpposes local Clark County taxpayer funding for operations and maintenance of light rail on the Interstate 5 Bridge replacement, and opposes related tolls. Argues District 2 constituents do not support light rail or paying for it.T2
Property TaxesStates she has voted no on property tax increases every year in office, including standing alone against the 1.8 percent levy increase in the 2026 county budget.T3
Taxes and Local ControlOpposes new sales taxes not approved by voters and frames her platform around keeping government spending down and preserving local control.T3
AnnexationSays she works to protect District 2 from annexation by the city of Vancouver.T3
Public SafetyLists public safety funding as a priority.T3

3 Campaign Finance (PDC T1 Data)

MetricValueSource
Filing EntityPDC committee BELKM--098 (committee 41019, fund 27826), registered 2026-02-03, declared 2026-05-05, treasurer Trianna Reed. 2026 cycle as of 2026-07-04 (PDC data last updated 2026-06-29): $24,543.75 raised across 56 contributions, $3,610.04 spent, approximately $20,934 cash on hand, no loans or debts. Top itemized contributors gave at or near the combined primary and general maximum: David Madora and Donna Madora ($2,400 each), Gerald Nutter ($2,400), Paul Long and Jenny Long of Battle Ground ($2,150 each), Phil Wuest and Travis Johnson ($2,000 each). Small contributions totaled $1,624.75. Source: WA PDC SODA API (data.wa.gov), as_of 2026-07-04.T1

4 Notable Public Statements

“I've been representing my constituents. I'm the only Clark County councilor that grew up in and is from Clark County. I have personally voted against (light rail) again, and again, and again.”

To the County Council in connection with her removal from the C-TRAN board (2025-03)

“My particular district is not interested in footing the bill for an Oregon transportation system that's having extreme financial difficulties.”

On her opposition to local light rail funding (2025-03)

“I believe people should keep more of their money and not have big government projects forced on them.”

Reelection campaign announcement (2026-01)

“Representing People Over Politics.”

Reelection campaign slogan (2026)

5 Vulnerability Assessment

1 sourced findings. All sourced at T1 (Official Record) or T2 (Multi-Source Media) per clearthemud provenance model. No T3/T4 claims included.

Finding 5.1: Removed from the C-TRAN board of directors by fellow councilors in 2025 MODERATE

What happened
On March 12, 2025, the Clark County Council voted 4 to 1, with Belkot the lone no vote, to remove her from the county's seat on the board of directors of C-TRAN, the regional public transit agency, and to appoint Councilor Wil Fuentes in her place. The removal followed Belkot signaling that at the C-TRAN board she would vote against the position the council majority had taken on whether C-TRAN should help pay operations and maintenance costs for a planned light rail extension into Vancouver tied to the Interstate Bridge Replacement Program. In November 2025, an outside investigation commissioned in connection with the matter faulted the county council and the county manager for how the removal was handled. Belkot sued the county, alleging violations of the First and 14th Amendments, the Clark County Charter, and Washington's Open Public Meetings Act. In March 2026, U.S. District Judge Tiffany M. Cartwright dismissed all five claims as a matter of law and denied her request for reinstatement. Belkot said she was disappointed and might appeal.
Source tier
T2
Political impact
Moderate
Defense
Removal from the C-TRAN board did not remove Belkot from her elected County Council seat, which she continues to hold. She has said she was representing her District 2 constituents and her own consistent opposition to local taxpayer funding for light rail, telling the council she had voted against light rail repeatedly. A November 2025 outside investigation faulted the county council and the county manager for how the removal was carried out, indicating the dispute was not one-sided. Belkot pursued the disagreement through the courts rather than through any conduct alleged to be improper, and the case was decided on legal grounds rather than on any finding of wrongdoing by her.
  • https://www.columbian.com/news/2025/mar/27/lawsuit-claims-clark-county-council-violated-law-when-it-removed-belkot-from-c-tran-board-over-light-rail-vote/
  • https://www.opb.org/article/2026/03/20/ctran-board-lawsuit-clark-county-dismissed/
  • https://www.kgw.com/article/news/regional/southwest-washington/dispute-light-rail-ctran-board-shakeup/283-a44bcbf8-621f-462f-931e-4a46615afa51
  • https://www.columbian.com/news/2025/nov/10/investigation-faults-county-council-manager-for-belkot-decision/
  • https://www.camaspostrecord.com/news/2025/mar/20/belkot-ousted-from-c-tran-board-over-vote-on-light-rail/
  • https://www.columbian.com/news/2026/mar/20/judge-dismisses-clark-county-councilor-michelle-belkots-lawsuit-against-county-over-her-removal-from-c-tran-board/

6 Source Verification

Data Sources
WA SOS, WA PDC, local media, public records
Collection Date
2026-07-04
Highest Tier
T1 (Official Record)
Methodology
OSINT deep-dive using exclusively public-record sources. All findings at T1 or T2. No T3/T4 claims included.
TLP:GREEN, Approved for public sharing